Haley Heynderickx and the Westerlies Sound Right at Home at Music Hall of Williamsburg

September 19, 2022

Haley Heynderickx and the Westerlies – Music Hall of Williamsburg – September 17, 2022

Portland, Ore., singer-songwriter Haley Heynderickx quietly fingerpicked her way into the indie music scene with the 2016 EP Fish Eyes. Her debut full-length album, I Need to Start a Garden, followed two years later. And although she hasn’t released much music since 2018, following a string of solo dates earlier in September, Heynderickx just embarked on tour with the Westerlies last week. On Saturday night, she graced the stage solo to begin her set at Music Hall of Williamsburg with the ethereal “No Face.” The brass quartet joined soon after to provide an interlude as Heynderickx tuned her guitar before accompanying the singer on “The Bug Collector.” Everyone in the room was delighted and joined in a sing-along for fan-favorite “Oom Sha La La” while swaying along to the infectious pop ditty. 

The band’s improvisational skills were a special treat paired with Heynderickx’s delicate vocals. Skilled trumpeters Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands and trombonists Andy Clausen and Willem de Koch could blow the roof off the Music Hall, but to blend with Heynderickx’s softer nature they provided more rounded tones. Sharing newer material, she and the four-piece played several songs they produced together during COVID in North Adams, Mass., including the John Fahey–sounding tune, “Sorry, Fahey,” and “Ben, I’m Trying,” a meditation on living with your partner during a pandemic. There would not be an encore, but the show concluded with “Untitled God Song.” —Sharlene Chiu | @Shar0ck

Photo courtesy of Sharlene Chiu.